HAVANA 86 - Authentic Cuban Flavor

The food was seasoned perfectly. My family enjoyed trying different meats and all were tender and delicious! It was my first time having a Cuban coffee and I’m now hooked. Only difficulty here was our server knew very little English, which made it hard to communicate with her. Otherwise, highly recommend this restaurant.

We ordered food via DoorDash from here and aside from it being a tad cold, the taste was AAAAAMAZING! First time in Tampa and my FIRST Cuban food ever and I’m so happy we decided to go here to get it. Im very picky with flavor but the flavor of everything here was just on point.

Havana 86 is a must for authentic Cuban food. Everything is fresh, flavorful, and made with care. Great portions, great coffee, and great prices highly recommended.

Delicious Cuban sandwich with no pickles, no lettuce, no tomato, and no mustard then onions added to it! The fries are also super yummy, thank you!

Great food. The empanadas we're crispy and the fillings weren't dried out. The plantain rellenas were excellent.

The food is amazing. We had the sampler, Red Snapper, and Ropa Vieja. The amount of food was a lot more than than we were expecting.

Waited 36 minutes for a Pan con Lechon. I asked for it to be made like a cuban with mayo, mustard pickle and onion. My sandwich has no pickles, and the pork was room temperature and dry. It wasnt until i began asking for a refund that it was magically brought out. I won't be back.

The food was delicious, and we had an enjoyable dining experience overall! The service was friendly and pleasant, though the servers were a bit distracted and forgot to ask if we wanted anything to drink. The restaurant was clean, quiet, with nice ambiance, perfect music volume, and the coffee was excellent. We’d definitely return next time we’re in town!

Food is very good Cuban food. We've become steady customers and one of our best waitress is Rossana. She makes the best cortadito's on Columbus Drive.

This is definitely one of those spots where the local go to ear... brush up on your Spanish! Yes, the majority language spoken is Spanish but the staff is also fluent in English. Now for the food; the portion of fried pork chucks was relatively big and tasty but perhaps a bit on the over fried side. I asked my server for her recommendation and she suggested the Cuban styled fried chicken ... while not bad, nothing special about it. But don't get me wrong, I want to go back and try some of their other menu options.

I will start with the good: The food was delicious! Both my husband and I ordered shrimp: scampi and "enchilado" (red sauce). Black bean w rice, white rice w garbanzos and tostones. The tostones were crispy, crunchy yummy with garlic sauce. Flan: creamy goodness. The bad: We lucked out with probably the worst waitress of the bunch. She dropped off the menus and we told her to return in one minute to get the order. She disappeared to the back and 10 minutes later my husband asked a waiter to please get our waitress for order. She did not return and the waiter took our order. Then we sat and saw all the tables that came in after us get their food, while we waited and waited. No sight of waitress or waiter. By now my husband was upset and complained. Now the waitress came out from the back and became very combative. So we waited some more. Finally another waitress delivered our food and was very attentive. What's sad is the experience could have been great! The food was excellent and the ambiance was authentic Cuban. Nonetheless we might return and hope for a better server.

This place is a gem! Found it on Yelp! If you are looking for fabulous authentic Cuban food this is the place for you!! We had a tall male server who was very helpful and nice. The female servers who brought our food were not as friendly. I had the Ox Tail with black beans and rice and the two others had Cubana Sandwiches! Both were sooo good!! Big portion sizes. Everyone too good home. You have the choice of table or booth seating. There is a small bar area. Definitely will be going back when I'm back in town!

The food was good! Ambience was different. Definitely great try if you are in Tampa!!

Just moved to Tampa and stumbled upon Havana 86... what a gem! We ordered delivery and were blown away by how fresh and flavorful everything was. We had the vaca frita, bistec a la milanesa, moros, tostones, and boniato frito, and wow, every bite was a flavor explosion. The tostones with that garlicky sauce? Chef's kiss! My partner has been on a mission to find authentic vaca frita, and this place delivered big time--literally. The only thing I could add is for the price on DoorDash a little more rice would've been nice lol If the food is this good delivered, I can only imagine how amazing it is in person. Can't wait to order again (or stop by)!

Very nice folks! Food generally good but I don't recommend the steak sandwich. It's sparse and less than tasty. However the batidos ( shakes) are excellent! Congris is very good as is the café con leche. The staff however make the place. They are very friendly!!! Helpful and kind they go the extra mile.

I touched down in Tampa last night and the first thing I did was order Spanish food through Uber Eats. The food was delicious and well balanced! Classic Cuban food. The yuca was garlicky, soft, and plentiful. The rice was a little dry but the flavors were fantastic and classic. Lastly, the vaca frita was just what I needed. It was juicy, not too fatty, but as someone mentioned, it could've been a little crispier. Not complaining though because the flavor was on point!! This dish was the perfect size for me to have as dinner and lunch the next day. I'd love to try other menu options here.

Solid experience. Very nice spot and reasonably priced. Nice service but in a very odd area. Clean restaurant but not allowed to sit outside due to weather I guess. Flavor was good but needs some sort of extra flare or kick for me.

One of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had. I tried ordering online but ran into a language barrier, so I went in to confirm my order in person. The server was rude and dismissive from the start, and when I picked up my bag, they had written "gringa" on it. When I questioned it, the manager actually said, "Should we just say negra?" Completely unprofessional, offensive, and disgusting behavior. If this is how they treat customers, I'd advise anyone to take their business elsewhere. There are plenty of restaurants that know how to serve food and show respect.

Ordered a large takeout order from here. The Red Snapper was delicious and the pork very tender. Plenty of extras. The restaurant had the order packed up perfectly and I was in and out quickly. Although I did not stay and eat inside, the place is immaculate. Super clean and the waitstaff is wearing matching black/white uniforms. I will dine in next time.

It was great! We all got what we wanted and were extremely satisfied. The croquettes, soooo delicious, came in 4, gone in 2 seconds. It was my friends first cuban food and they loved it. Each got our own sandwiches, delicious! Also had cafe con leche, amazing. The restaurant itself looked old and the music was obnoxious. Per usual, anywhere in south florida, spanish is almost a must to communicate properly... so know some or make them understand your english. Overall, good experience!

Delicious food and great service! We had a variety of appetizers and the roast pork and a Cuban sandwich. The croquettes were the best I've had. Empanadas needed more filling in them, but the flavor was great. Roast pork was fork tender. Cuban sandwich was spot on. Definitely worth a stop on your way too or from the Tampa airport.

The food was delicious, hot, visually appealing and plentiful ( I took some home for lunch the next day). The service was good and the music (salsa) enjoyable. It was a bit loud due to many customers speaking loudly (as I and most Latino's do unconsciously). Prices were great, however please check your receipts, as I had to have mine adjusted twice as they had added two items that I didn't order or consume. All in all a good place to eat! Going back next week to celebrate my daughter's and our wedding anniversary. The fact that it's open till midnight is also a plus. It's just a great casual family friendly Restaurant!

The Cuban food was authentic and delicious! I had 3 other persons with me eating different Cuban foods like black beans ropa vieja, vaca frita maduros, tostones, all delicious and tasted like mom made it!!!!

I went there at 9:28 because it says OPEN on maps. When I arrived the place is closed. Why say you open at 9 when you don't? I'm tired of restaurants wasting my damn time and gas.

While in the vicinity the wife and I tried a fairly new Cuban restaurant I saw on social media. They have a nice selection of authentic foods, sandwiches and Cuban pizza. Bring and extra serving of patience because these girls are in no hurry whatsoever to tend to the customer, unless they know you. They will wander around aimlessly for a while for no apparent reason. We ordered sandwiches and a chorizo pizza. The pizza was small with a very thick crust, a mediocre cheese and the chorizo was very bland. Not recommended. The sandwiches on the other hand were very flavorful. Loved the flavors on my Steak sandwich, the perfect combination of ingredients. The palomilla however was very tough and chewy. My wifes Lechon sandwich was perfect. A fairly non-descirpt ambiance. You can sit at a table or cozy up to the counter for your meal. The service is faster at the counter. I would not make a special trip to this place but I would stop in again if I am in the area as it is better than La Teresita

The food here is so delicious! We had the Beef Guisado and pork asado, both were so good. The place has quick service and everything is very affordable. Definitely worth a try!

Place is always clean, waitstaff is very friendly. Favorite Cuban spot in Tampa. Selection of draft and bottled beers. Can't go wrong with pollo asada con arroz y frijoles.

Extremely Disappointed -- Unacceptable Behavior from Staff I've been a regular at Havana 86 for a long time. It's always been a place I bring family when they're in town, and the food has consistently been good. Unfortunately, after our recent experience, I can confidently say I'll never return. My daughter called in an order -- she doesn't speak Spanish fluently, but understands enough to communicate. When my son went to pick it up, not only was the server incredibly rude, but she also wrote the word "gringa" in large letters on the takeout bag and the receipt -- a clear and unnecessary comment directed at my daughter. That term, especially used in this context, felt discriminatory and inappropriate. When we asked to speak to the manager to calmly explain the situation, we were met with even more rudeness. Instead of listening and addressing the issue professionally, he insinuated we were just trying to get free food or have the server fired -- which was never our intention. We simply wanted him to acknowledge the unacceptable behavior and speak to his staff about how to treat customers, regardless of language or background. At one point, when my son was trying to explain what happened, the manager actually told him to "shut up." That was the final straw. This isn't just about a misunderstanding or language barrier -- it's about basic respect. No customer should be treated this way, especially not at a place they've supported over the years. While the kitchen staff may do a great job, when the front-of-house treats people with such disregard, it ruins the entire experience. We've since discovered a wonderful alternative -- The Caribbean Twist. Their food is excellent and their service is welcoming, respectful, and professional. From now on, they'll be getting all of our business and referrals.

Yo ha probado varias pizzas cubanas en esta ciudad pero este lugar tiene el punto exacto. Suave tostada con su queso al rededor sin eso cantidad de grasa está espectacular la verdad y un servicio especial muy familiares. Me encantó el servicio y la pizza de chorizo.

Wow, it was my first time dining in this place. I loved my experience. It was my first time visiting from Texas and I was definitely looking for great Cuban place. This was it! I enjoy great Cuban restaurant back in my town, but I'm so glad I found a place similar to it! I'm definitely will go back to this place in future! The food was excellent The drinks looked great! I had Sangria and it was yummy. The service was very well and I appreciate servers very well. It was lovely experience! The place has great vibes at night too.

Great spot for authentic Cuban comfort food. Attentive service. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed!

La peor comida de tampa en mis 10 añios en la ciudad, pedimos sangria roja y nos trajeron blanca sin preguntar si queriamos porque la roja se acabo , una falta de respeto total, la comida mala , mi bistec de res uruguayo crudo total , el arroz amarillo sin sal , sin sabor , las croquetas quemadas .. No puede ser peor la elaboraciion . Nunca mas regresaremos y no recomiendo comer nada en ese lugar, las meseras chismeando sin atender nada

This Cuban joint has been my go-to since 2017 @havana86_ is one of the best authentic Cuban spots I've hit in Tampa. All the servers are staff are Cuban, and they serve the dishes that remind me of family (I'm so the cuisine is similar)! My favorites: - Cuban pizza - Pollo Saltado (chicken fajitas) - Carne Saltado (beef fajitas) - Yellow Rice - Rice and beans - Sweet Plantains - Empanadas - Skirt steak with shrimp - Steak sandwich (has a great garlic sauce and served on a delicious Cuban bread) RATINGS 〰Food - 9.5/10 〰Service - a little slower but the servers are very sweet and usually busy unless you come for lunch. 〰Ambiance - very casual, authentic vibes. 9/10

When I tell you it's the best baked chicken I've ever had, it's the BEST. My bf got the Cuban sandwich, they use homemade bread! Everything here is authentic, homemade and delicious flavor. Thank you to the owner and chefs, we will be back asap. Wow. Amazing. Delicious. Amazing prices. Havana 86!

Came by for quick lunch ordered up some appetizers. I can see how this can be a cool place to drink but with the abundance of Cuban food in this area I would do research next time. The Tamal Masa Frita( with fried pork) was good but the fried pork a little hard and dry. Tostones go nice with the garlic butter sauce and empanadas good size one can be shared with two people. Overalll decent but not the best I have had in Florida

Food was good, asses were even better ! Recruiter / Hiring Manager needs a raise. Come for the congri, leave with plenty of material for the spank bank.

Great food, friendly staff and healthy portions! I got the pollo ala Blanche and the yuca is * chef's kiss * !

Had the palomilla steak ($9.99) like 10 minutes ago (12/13/2021.) It literally tasted rancid and my stomach already hurts and we're still in the parking lot. I had my husband taste it and he said it tasted weird. This is the 3rd palomilla steak I've had in less than a week, so it's not like I'm just unaware of what this dish tastes like, the meat tasted legitimately rancid. Side of beans and sweet plantains tasted fine but service was bad too. No water refill until we had already finished eating. My Spanish isn't good enough to be able to complain about my dish when the waitress asked my husband something in Spanish when she noticed the steak still on the plate when he said he was done. I am going to be so mad if I get sick. *Edit: ended up having to pull over to throw up not even 10 minutes after writing this review. Steak was definitely off

This is the restaurant we have visited sometime ago and finally I have sometime to write about it. Havana 86 is the restaurant may be open during pandemic. We visited two months ago. I like the restaurant because it has good Cuban cuisine. Especially this area has already many Cuban restaurants close. I am happy they open their door. We started with Tostones Rellenos - stuff fried green plantain. We got the stuffing at lobster. It comes with 5 pieces and delicious to share. For the main course, we have Vaca Frita and Churrasco ala Cubana. The vaca frita can be a little crispy by pan grilled longer. The skirt steak is delicious. Overall the food is good. It is close to 4.5 stars. Price is affordable. Hopefully they keep it this way. Service is ok nothing jump out.

Cuban Sandwich was really good, however everything else we ordered was crap. Bistec de Pallomilla was so dry you would think it had been dehydrated, really could have used a sauce. The chuleta de cerdo was an unseasoned chunk of ham that we literally could not eat. Food took over 30 mins to come & the service was bad. They were not busy at all but the server did not check on us once. We sat down & immediately were asked what we wanted to drink & order, felt very rushed only to wait forever for the food. Not sure I would return

Visited the Havana 86 for the first time. The Cuban sandwich was standard. Simple and nothing special, but was still pretty solid; however, the steak was disappointingly dry and grainy, clearly overcooked. On a positive note, the rice was flavorful, and the service was friendly, although the wait for food was a bit lengthy. Overall, a mixed experience.

food was trash Filet Salteado was like leather tried to send it right back they look like I was crazy so I told him don't worry about it. I'll pay for it. Bring me a Polomilla state medium rare and it came back well done sorry I don't like putting down restaurants, but I will never step foot in that place again

Its a special kind of nasty! I will never eat here again, and do not recommend anyone else waste their money on this supposed food. The steak was so dry, and overcooked. It had to have been cooked days ago. It arrived cold, and the sandwich had so many onions on it. The sandwich also had these small weird things that looked like maggots on it. It didnt have any sauce on it, bread was stale and the whole thing was cold. The fries were ice cold, and horrible. I cannot believe this place is still in business. We had a huge office order, and none of the food was good. Save your money, and time and avoid this place at all costs!!

I won't recommend this restaurant since it's busy and they can't handle the people. Then I was told to wait outside, is raining and people are upset. They are argumentative with the guests too. Won't be coming back for a while. They need new employees and need to decoy the load of people when they come in. Also they don't even know the wait time. They don't even take names of who is first. What a waste of a drive.

What good does it do to order online and pay for it only to arrive at the pick up time and they tell you they never received an order in spite of the fact that you have a text in an email from them confirming it. I am then told it would only take 7 minutes - it took 30 minutes and the food was lukewarm at best. The person waiting behind me had the same experience. This is the second time this happens and there will not be a third.

A great little Cuban place. Walked in and it was packed (always a good sign) on a Saturday at 5pm. Friendly, quick and courteous service. Our order was taken quickly and food took a normal amount of time to come out. Appetizers Croquetas were very good. Chicken soup tasted great and had good amount of ingredients. Entrees Grilled chicken breast with tostones and salad. Grilled fish with tostones and white rice. Breaded chicken with black beans and rice. All entrees were well seasoned, not overcooked and healthy amounts. The black beans were a bit sweeter than we are used to but that's just preference (we like then more garlicky). Dessert Flan (vanilla) - big serving and DELICIOUS!!!! All the staff were friendly and a lot of different employees visited our table frequently to see how things were going or if we needed anything which was odd but nice. It would have been nice to have gotten some bread at the beginning but less carbs never hurt anyone. All in all, I would recommend.

Found this great spot to get some authentic Cuban food. Had to get my fix before leaving Florida. Cute little restaurant and good service as soon as we walked in. The food was excellent and didn't disappoint. I would definitely go back!

We visited for lunch on a Saturday. We got the Cubano sandwich ($8.99) which comes with fries. We also got sides of yellow rice and black beans ($2.99 each). Drinks are Coke products, beer, Cuban sodas and fruit drinks. Desserts include flan and tres leches. The yellow rice and black beans were outstanding. The flan was the absolute star of the show, I would go back just for it. The bread for the Cubano was very good, but the meat and cheese was standard Tampa fare. Total bill for two adults with tip was $40. Be aware that the parking lot in the strip mall is quite congested and if any cars larger than compact park across the row from each other, backing out will involve a many point turn.

Definitely one of the best Cuban sandwiches I've had!! 100 percent worth a drop in! Thanks for the great food!

This review is for delivery. We ordered a palomilla steak, fried pork chunks, and a kids meal with chicken tenders. The kids meal was big enough for my two (preschool aged) kids to share, huge! The tenders were big and well-fried. The french fries arrived soggy. My husband enjoyed his steak, although he says La Teresita does it better. He LOVED the masitas, and thought they were better than Arco Iris or La Teresita, but I disagreed. I thought the mojo was too sweet and not acidic enough, and the bigger chunks of meat ended up pretty dry. For our sides, we had salads (ugh, not agreeing to do a keto diet again, it really reduces food options), but my kids also had the rice and beans, and they seemed to enjoy them. I think this was a good alternative to La Teresita or Arco Iris, but not a game changer when it comes to west Tampa Cuban food.

Great menu! Delicious food. Incredible prices for such large servings. We highly recommend. Very casual...but that's ok. The food speaks for itself.

Came across this gem upon a recent visit and loved it so much, we came back the next night again for dinner. I had fried snapper and wife had the best tasting Palomilla steak she's ever had. When in Tampa, treat yourself to some authentic Cuabn cuisine here!

The pizza that we order was amazing but the desert was hard as a rock. It was the volcano something. We tried ro stick a knife in it and it was imposible. Service was terrible. The waiters where being completely nonchalant about our experience as well as ironically taking over or plates as soon as we finished. The wait was unbelievable as well. All of them gather to talk in the front of the bar como si eso fuera el malecón. In conclusion I would think it really hard if I ever want to give there aging.

We sat there for over an hour and would not even get served Cafe con leche within that time. I felt like I was nagging them trying to get them to give me something to drink and I was ignored. I was with a party of three and we had nothing to drink for an hour. I do not recommend it because of this reason. We felt disrespected because everyone around us was eating and drinking and we came in before them very strange.

This place was a really cool little hole in the wall authentic Cuban restaurant! Here are some highlights: -very nice, clean restrooms -the menu was in Spanish and English -the waitress was very kind, and she asked clarification questions to make sure she had taken down the correct order -the food was DELICIOUS! I was craving a Cuban sandwich and we found this place on Yelp (lol) and I was not disappointed! Although the sandwich didn't have any pickles on it (which I thought Cubans usually do) it was amazing. The sandwich was large and enough for 2 people to share. -the Cuban coffee was worth writing home about. I had a cortadito which is like a shot of espresso with a little bit of milk and sugar and I could've drank 6 of them. The coffee was 10/10 -Spanish music played throughout the restaurant. It gave the place a very authentic Cuban vibe. Overall I would come here again and I would recommend it!

I was craving Cuban food and a friend and I decided to have it delivered to work for us for lunch. I was happy with the time it took to actually receive the order from the time it was ordered, especially since it was during lunch time. When it arrived, I was surprised at the amount of food honestly. I was not expecting there to be as much as there was. The food itself was delicious. I recommend this place 100%. I cannot wait to eat it again and try something different from the menu.

Ordered Cuban Picadillo which was disappointingly very greasy and salty. You can literally see the grease swimming in the styrofoam container.Still tried to eat some of it as I was hungry but ended up throwing most of it away. The Rice & Black beans were nothing to talk about either. Their Cuban sandwich has shredded pork in it instead of the deli pork that I'm used to. This too was very disappointing. The only thing tasty were the Empanadas which had very little guava filling inside them. I was suppose to also get cheese empanada with my order but instead was given only two guava filled empanadas. This place is a disappointment. Don't even bother giving them a try. You'll just be disappointed.